Characterization of Nickel Germanide Schottky Contacts for the Fabrication of Germanium p-channel MOSFETs

Nickel germanide Schottky contacts, formed by rapid thermal annealing of thin nickel films, have been characterized on n-type germanium wafers for a range of RTA temperatures. The highest Schottky barrier heights for electrons (= 0.6-0.7 eV) were obtained for RTA temperatures of approximately 300°C. For this RTA schedule, the corresponding barrier height for holes is close to zero, ideal for Schottky contacted p-channel germanium MOSFETs. When the RTA temperature was increased to 400oC, a dramatic reduction in electron barrier height (< 0.1 eV) was observed. This RTA schedule, therefore, appears ideal for ohmic source/drain contacts to n channel germanium MOSFETs. From sheet resistance measurements and XRD characterization, nickel germanide formation was found to occur at 300oC and above. The NiGe phase was dominant for RTA temperatures up to at least 435oC.

Approaching near-capacity on a multi-antenna channel using successive decoding and interference cancellation receivers

In this paper, we address the problem of designing multirate codes for a multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) system by restricting the receiver to be a successive decoding and interference cancellation type, when each of the antennas is encoded independently. Furthermore, it is assumed that the receiver knows the instantaneous fading channel states but the transmitter does not have access to them. It is well known that, in theory, minimum-mean-square error (MMSE) based successive decoding of multiple access (in multi-user communications) and MIMO channels achieves the total channel capacity. However, for this scheme to perform optimally, the optimal rates of each antenna (per-antenna rates) must be known at the transmitter. We show that the optimal per-antenna rates at the transmitter can be estimated using only the statistical characteristics of the MIMO channel in time-varying Rayleigh MIMO channel environments. Based on the results, multirate codes are designed using punctured turbo codes for a horizontal coded MIMO system. Simulation results show performances within about one to two dBs of MIMO channel capacity.

Assembly of a coordination cage with four aromatic channel receptors on the outside

Silver salts and triphosphine ligands with biphenyl substituents assemble to give coordination cages with four external aromatic channel receptors in a pseudo-tetrahedral arrangement.

Web crippling behaviour of cold-formed steel channel sections with offset web holes subjected to interior-two-flange loading

Cold-formed steel sections are often used as wall studs or floor joists; such sections often include web holes for ease of installation of the services. Cold-formed steel design codes, however, do not consider the effect of such web holes. In this paper, a combination of experimental tests and non-linear elasto-plastic finite element analyses are used to investigate the effect of such holes on web crippling under interior-two-flange (ITF) loading conditions; the cases of both flange fastened and flange unfastened are considered. A good agreement between the experimental tests and finite element analyses was obtained. The finite element model was then used for the purposes of a parametric study on the effect of different sizes and position of holes in the web. It was demonstrated that the main factors influencing the web crippling strength are the ratio of the hole depth to the depth of the web, and the ratio of the distance from the edge of the bearing to the flat depth of web. Design recommendations in the form of web crippling strength reduction factors are proposed, that are conservative to both the experimental and finite element results.

Different rooms, different voices: double-breasting, multi-channel representation and the managerial agenda

Double-breasting has been identified as where companies run union voice and non-union voice mechanisms across different plants. While research has focused on the incidence of such arrangements, there is a dearth of evidence into the dynamics of it. This article seeks to complement existing research by examining the contours of double-breasting in a case study organisation. The findings suggest that more research is necessary into the dynamics of double-breasting in terms of how voice in sites affects each other and the extent to which running different regimes affects the managerial agenda.

Regulation of transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) channel activity by its short isoforms.

One important mechanism of membrane ion channels regulation involves their non-functional isoforms generated by alternative splicing. However, knowledge of such isoforms for the members of transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of ion channels remains quite limited. This study focuses on TRPM member, TRPM8, which functions as a cold receptor in sensory neurons, but is also expressed in tissues not exposed to ambient temperatures, as well as in cancer tissues. We report the cloning from prostate cancer cells of new short-splice variants of TRPM8, termed short TRPM8a (sM8a) and short TRPM8ß (sM8ß). Our results show that both variants are in a closed configuration with the C-terminal tail of the full-size TRPM8 chan-nel, resulting in stabilization of its closed state and thus reducing both its cold sensitivity and its activity. Our findings, therefore, uncover a new mode of the regulation of TRPM8 channel by its splice variants.

Short Isoforms of the Cold Receptor TRPM8 Inhibit Channel Gating by Mimicking Heat Action Rather than Chemical Inhibitors

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels couple various environmental factors to changes in membrane potential, calcium influx, and cell signaling. They also integrate multiple stimuli through their typically polymodal activation. Thus, although the TRPM8 channel has been extensively investigated as the major neuronal cold sensor, it is also regulated by various chemicals, as well as by several short channel isoforms. Mechanistic understanding of such complex regulation is facilitated by quantitative single-channel analysis. We have recently proposed a single-channel mechanism of TRPM8 regulation by voltage and temperature. Using this gating mechanism, we now investigate TRPM8 inhibition in cell-attached patches using HEK293 cells expressing TRPM8 alone or coexpressed with its short sM8-6 isoform. This is compared with inhibition by the chemicals N-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-4-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)piperazine-1-carboxamide (BCTC) and clotrimazole or by elevated temperature. We found that within the seven-state single-channel gating mechanism, inhibition of TRPM8 by short sM8-6 isoforms closely resembles inhibition by increased temperature. In contrast, inhibition by BCTC and that by clotrimazole share a different set of common features. © 2012 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.